Working hard for oneself or others: Effects of oxytocin on reward motivation in social anxiety disorder.

ABSTRACT: There is some evidence to suggest that oxytocin promotes social behavior, especially for disorders characterized by social dysfunction, such as social anxiety disorder (SAD). The goal of this study was to examine the effect of oxytocin on reward motivation in SAD. We tested whether oxytocin promotes prosocial, or antisocial, self-directed decisions, and whether its effects depended on social anxiety severity and attachment. Fifty-two males with SAD received 24 international units of oxytocin or placebo, and completed a reward motivation task that measured willingness to work for self vs. other monetary rewards. Although there was no main drug effect, social anxiety severity moderated the effect of oxytocin. Less socially anxious individuals who received oxytocin worked harder for other vs.

SUBMITTER: Fang A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5949234 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature